TASTING
– TWO OLD HEAVILY SHERRIED
CAOL ILAS AT 63% - but does that
make any sense? ;-)

Caol
Ila 15 yo ‘Manager’s
Dram’ (63%, OB, for the SMD
staff association, bottled 1990)
Colour: dark amber. Nose (neat):
sure it’s powerful but it’s
also rather ‘nosable’,
even at such high strength. First
it’s very meaty, mainly on
smoked ham, then the peat starts
to come through, together with quite
some coal smoke and flints…
And then we have the sherry, with
first notes of peonies, blackcurrants
and green pepper (almost like a
young Bordeaux – premier cru
of course) and then the more usual
coffee, toffee, fruitcake, chocolate,
mint leaves, pepper…

The balance is really
fantastic, absolutely fantastic.
Superbly compact, with strictly
no offbeat notes and not the slightest
flaw. We’re approaching perfection
here, but let’s see what happens
with water: ok, it doesn’t
really get nicer – which would
have been nearly impossible –
but water brings out notes of fresh
almonds, old books, camphor…
Again, wonderful. Mouth (neat):
immensely powerful but drinkable,
starting on 100% peat plus 100%
sherry. Lots of chocolate and quite
some salt at the attack, hints of
soy sauce, quite some liquorice,
balsamic vinegar, pepper, prunes…
Hugely concentrated and rich, I
guess one could use this one as
a sauce (why not with foie gras!)
With water: more caramel and more
liquorice, gentian eau-de-vie, roots,
smoked tea… Brilliant, and
no need to talk about the very long
finish, I decided to slow down with
maltoporn ;-). But what’s
stunning is that there’s also
lots of elegance in this bold whisky.
Legendary. 96 points.

Caol
Ila 12 yo 1974 (63%, The London
Scottish Malt Whisky Society –
James MacArthur, cask #74231)
I think this was James MacArthur’s
first series. Colour: dark amber.
Nose (neat): extremely close to
the OB, almost identical, with just
a little more power but that may
come from the bottles. Maybe also
a tad farmier and less flinty but
I’m really splitting hairs
here. Just as terrific! With water:
amazingly, it got even closer to
the OB. No noticeable differences
now and I’m starting to run
short of superlatives… Mouth
(neat): again, this one is even
bolder but also slightly sweeter
than the OB, maybe a tad more medicinal
(camphor) but other than that we’re
exactly in the same league again.
Hugely salty. Wow. With water: same
thing. Maybe the finish is a tad
more drying but I’m trying
really hard to pick differences…
96 points.

WHISKYFUN'S
HALL OF FRIENDS INTERVIEW

-
TOM BORSCHEL -

Hi,
where do you live and what’s
special there?Hi,
my name is Tom Borschel.
I was born in Buffalo, New
York on 2/3/54. My home
is on a hilltop in the Finger
Lakes region of New York
State. The Finger Lakes
were formed during the last
ice age and hold a wide
variety of fish species.
Two of the Great Lakes are
also nearby (Erie and Ontario).
I also happen to be an avid
fisherman (a flask of whisky
is a constant companion
whether I’m out on
the ice or streamside).

BTW that’s a Lake Ontario
King (Chinook) Salmon in the
photo. The Finger Lakes area
is also New York’s largest
wine region with about 70
wineries. My nom de cyber
is “Uisgetom”;
in Scots Gaelic you all know
what Uisge is and Tom is the
word for hill. There’s
more whisky on top of my particular
hill than on any other for
miles around ;-). It’s
also home to the periodic
debauch known as “The
Whisky Hill Dram Jam”.
I’m a business traveller
(primarily USA, coast to coast)
so that has afforded me the
opportunity to fleece (or
FoaF as we PLOWEDsters say)
over 500 liquor stores in
the last 10 years. I’ve
found some good stashes on
occasion!

Who
or what made you discover
whisky?

I
was primarily a beer drinker
in my younger years. I liked
beer, but beer didn’t
like me (nasty hangovers,
and I put on a LOT of weight
drinking it). I tried bourbon
and sour mash whiskies and
really didn’t care for
them. Ditto on Canadian ryes
as well. It must have been
around 1980 that a friend
(AJ) introduced me to Scotch
whisky. I drank mostly Dewar’s
White Label for about 10 years.
AJ then got me started on
Single Malts around 1990.
I was basically clueless about
malts for the next five years
or so and started getting
serious about tasting and
collecting around 1995.

Why
do you like whisky?

Believe
it or not I like Scotch for
the tasting experience, not
just to get drunk (well, you
know what they say…
s*** happens! ;-)) Mostly
however are the PEOPLE I’ve
met in my travels and over
the internet. The friends
I’ve made are the most
generous folks I’ve
ever met in my life! To meet
someone for the first time
and then have them pour me
a generous dram of very rare
whisky still gives me such
a warm feeling! Almost to
a person, the fellow enthusiasts,
distillery managers and employees,
retailers and whisky writers
that I’ve met; they’re
just such absolutely fantastic
people

Do
you have a favourite distillery?

I
tend to go in phases; I’ll
be on a Springbank tangent
for a while, then I’ll
have a hankering for a good
peaty Islay dram. You can’t
beat any distillery from Islay
starting with an “A”
or a “B”…
well “P” and “L”
too… for some reason
the flavour profile of Caol
Ila really doesn’t do
it for me but don’t
let my preferences put you
off on CI; it’s a very
respectable dram. I also like
coastal highland drams as
well (Springbank, Talisker,
Brora, Clynelish, Highland
Park, and Glenmorangie). I’ve
gotten away from Speysides
over the last few years; I
think I just prefer a more
robust dram these days.

What’s
your favourite expression?

Geez
that’s a tough one!
Any well matured Ardbeg (especially
from the early to mid 1970’s),
Old Springbanks, 1966-1969
bourbon casked Bruichladdichs
and Bowmores just blow my
mind!

Carpe
Maltum “seize the malt”.
If I stumble across something
that catches my eye, I’ll
grab it, but nothing in particular.

Are
you a member of a whisky club
and which one?

I
happened to stumble into the
PLOWED
Society. PLOWED is actually
an acronym for People Lucid
Only While Enjoying Dalwhinnie
(believe it or not); that
club was founded by some college
friends in Indiana some years
back. Unfortunately the founders
(President, VP, treasurer,
etc.) aren’t active
anymore. Those of us in the
club now have a mantra “All
Ringleaders, no Minions”.
All are equal; sort of the
knights of the round table
gone whisky mad.
I began meeting up with other
whisky enthusiasts online
around 1998 or 1999. We began
having weekly chats (with
drams) online and all decided
to finally meet the others
face to face in Las Vegas
in January 2000. We knew the
world would descend into chaos
following the Y2K debacle
so it was time to bring some
of our finest bottles to Las
Vegas and share them with
each other while the internet
crashed and nations and financial
institutions failed. Ardbeggeddon
was born! There are eight
of us who have made all seven
trips to Lost Wages so far
and we eagerly anticipate
the eighth reincarnation this
winter!

Imagine
you had a magic wand, what
would you change in the whisky
world?

Let
me trade in the magic wand
for a cat of nine tails. Anyone
who buys rare whisky (like
the annual Feis Ile releases)
solely for financial gain
(putting them up on EBay or
the Kruger auction immediately
thereafter) should be flogged.

Only
flogged? I think they deserve
to be flogged, then stoned,
then put on the wheel and
finally impaled on a double-magnum
of Loch Dhu! Now, have you
been to Scotland? What’s
your favourite place there?

My
first visit was almost by
accident. I was on a one month
assignment in England in 1998
to train a new engineer from
the Cotswolds and found myself
in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on
a Friday morning needing an
optical switch to complete
an installation. My employer
needed to send one up from
Swindon, so I found myself
heading north up the coast
road at 11 AM on a sunny August
morning. I managed to get
in a tour of Glenturret that
afternoon, hit the Scottish
Tourism office in Crieff and
got myself a room in Elgin
at the Laichmoray. Saturday
I camped out on Gordon and
MacPhails doorstep until they
opened up and then blitzed
through the Whisky Trail.
Sunday I made my way back
south hitting Lochnagar, Edradour
and Blair Athol.
I returned in 2000 with the
aforementioned Dave and Tim
to buy some casks of Springbank
and make a short trip to Islay.
Our first visit with Stuart
Thomson in the warehouse…
awesome. (BTW Stuart wherever
you are, best wishes. Sorry
to hear that you’re
no longer at Ardbeg). I’ve
returned to Scotland twice
more in 2002 and 2005 with
the PLOWED crowd; these visits
planned around sampling our
Springbanks to see how they’re
coming along and then heading
on to Islay for the festival.
My favourite places have to
be Campbeltown (sorry Gordon!)
Anywhere on Islay (especially
in the Ardbeg and Bruichladdich
warehouses …Damn did
Jim-San get us trashed once
… oops! Should I have
mentioned that?) Also the
Lochside when Alistair and
his missus had the place.
I also found Orkney to be
spectacular.

Do
you also, like us at Whiskyfun,
like music? Which kind?

Whiskyfun
is an excellent site, thanks
Serge for a masterful job.
Also, if you dare, please
visit Tim’s
site. He has done a great
job in a very wacky sort of
way. For music, I’m
a blues freak. Favorite artists
are Joe Bonamassa (please
try and see him, he tours
Europe often), Walter Trout
and the Free Radicals, Jimmy
Thackery, Eric Clapton…

Oh
yes, I listened to Bonamassa,
thanks to your advice. He's
brilliant indeed. Do you have
other hobbies?

Fishing
and boating, hunting (I’ve
been to the Alaskan arctic
twice). You just have to experience
sleeping in a nylon mountain
tent with 300 kg Grizzly bears
prowling around just once
in your life. That, and dramming
Ardbeg at a camp fire with
the Aurora Borealis pulsating
above. Wow. I also experiment
with smoking and curing fish
and game. Anyone who has been
to a Dram Jam can attest to
my “92 proof ribs”
marinated in Ardbeg TEN.

Is
there another ‘liquid’
you like, apart from whisky?
What’s your favourite
expression of it?

Coffee
(especially dark roasted Columbian
and Kenya AA); good hoppy
ales (just love a good IPA
or English bitters). Tea on
occasion.

Anything
to add?

If
I might speak for the entire
PLOWED crowd, we would love
to see you in Las Vegas one
of these years Serge!
Is there any possibility that
we could all chip in and buy
the Brora stills?

Well
Tom, I think one of these
two projects should be much
easier - and quicker - to
fulfil than the other one...
Anyway, thanks for all your
answers and your kind words!

MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- I always had a soft spot for
Curved
Air and lead singer
Sonja
Kristina (or is it
the other way 'round?) and I'm
very happy I could find their
very first single B-side, What
happens when you blow yourself
up.mp3 (uh!) That was in 1971
and I love the sound... Sonja
Kristina and Francis Monkman are
still around, you should go listen
to them and buy their music!

September
13, 2006

TASTING
– TWO INDIE 1991 ARDBEGS

Ardbeg
9 yo 1991/2000 (60.9%, La Réserve,
bourbon cask)
Colour: white wine. Nose: a rather
beautiful start on lots of freshly
brewed coffee and crisp, pure peat
smoked grain. This one smells just
like at the kiln! Quite some menthol
after that, fresh dough, kelp, oysters,
lemon, camphor… One of the
‘purest’ Ardbegs I ever
nosed. Kind of superb peat flavoured
vodka (by the way, did anybody try
to do that? I guess one could smoke
any kinds of grain…)

Mouth:
very strong and very lemony, just
as pure in style as on the nose.
Almost sharp like a blade, ‘nicely’
burning, with lots of peat of course,
crystallized lemons, sweet pepper,
getting quite leafy and rooty. I
doesn’t develop too much in
fact, and maybe it’s a little
one-dimensional on the palate but
what a beautiful dimension. Very
long finish, compact, getting a
little almondy with a great bitterness.
Perfect style and balance –
and a very pleasant aftertaste that
leaves your mouth fresh as a baby’s.
89 points (it can’t
go any higher on my scale because
of its 'simplicity' but I put five
stars).

Ardbeg
11 yo 1991/2002 (60.6%, Premier
Malts, cask #PM2001)
Colour: white wine. Nose: way simpler,
almost dull at first nosing when
compared to the La Réserve.
Much milkier, mashier… Also
more mineral. Not bad at all but
simply ‘just like any other
young Ardbeg’. Which means
good and very peaty, of course,
but not that interesting. Mouth:
this is better now, much closer
to the La Réserve, maybe
a little more lemony and rougher.
Also quite sweeter and, curiously,
younger. Much closer to an official
10 yo with more strength. Long finish,
powerful but again, simple and maybe
a tad too sweetish. Now, it’s
true that it’s always hard
to pass after a stunner, so let’s
give this one 84 points.

CRAZY
WHISKY ADS – JOHNNIE IS IMPRESSIVE!

Time to talk about crazy whisky
ads again, with these two excellent
recent ads by leader of the pack
Johnnie Walker.
Left, "Johnnie Walked –
If you drive, you don’t drink"
(Publicis Belgium I believe)
– Right, "Keep Walking",
bilboard on a Lebanese highway AFTER
the cease-fire, on August 14. (Leo
Burnett Beirut)

That
said, September is rather hot here
so let’s also have this one
(1999)...

Much
less impressive, that is, especially
after having seen this one for Evian
(1998)…

...
Now, it seems that it did impress
a few other, lazier brands…

Guinness,
2000 - Heineken, 2001 - 7UP, 2001
- UV Vodka, 2003

MUSIC
- Recommended
listening: close to pastiche,
the Asteroid
number Four - or
#4, depending on the sources (never
choose a number when creating
a band's name!!!) play California
- mp3. 'Neo psyc' is the style,
they say... What's sure is that
it really sounds 'sixties', while
the song's name is... Well, sort
of 'focused'! Please buy their
music if you like it.

September
12, 2006

PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK

TASTING
- TWO OFFICIAL TOMATINS

Tomatin
12 yo (40%, OB, 2005)
Colour: straw. Nose: starts grainy
and sort of sour, with notes of
old barrels, floorcloth… Also
hot ham, porridge, muesli, hints
of celery, cabbage, broccoli…
A bit bizarre I must say, sort of
dirty (yet a little soapy), meaty…
Gets a little quieter after a while,
though, more simply grainy for a
while and then very caramelly. Good
news, in a certain way. Mouth: much
more straightforward and rather
malty, grainy and caramelly again.
Quite some crystallized orange,
honey, roasted nuts… Toffeeish,
getting nuttier and nuttier…
The finish is medium long, on cake
but also on a little salt. Better
than the nose. 76 points.

Tomatin
1973/2005 (46%, OB for
LMDW France,
cask #26 504)
Colour: straw (just a little darker).
Nose: this, of course, is much nicer.
Starts on orange and apricot juice
and gets then rather ‘oriental’,
with quite some orange water, apple-flavoured
tobacco for narguilehs, sandalwood,
incense… Notes of old roses
and dried Muscat, dried oranges…
Rather enjoyable although, once
again, it gets then more classic,
on vanilla, oak, honey and praline.
But a nice personality and a pleasant
‘difference’. I like
it. Mouth: very similar in style,
even if it’s maybe not as
‘oriental’. Nice orange,
baked apricot, Turkish delight…
Too bad it gets then rather woody
and slightly drying but the whole
is pleasant. A rather long finish,
again slightly salty and liquoricy
but with also notes of rose jelly.
Good and rather assertive. 85
points.

MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- Somebody said she had the sexiest
German accent. Not too sure but
Nico's
version of My
funny Valentine.mp3 (on her
excellent and last album, Camera
Obscura - 1985) was deep and profound
indeed. Superb. Please buy her
music...

Then
we have whiffs of mint, eucalyptus
and camphor, a little soy sauce,
balsamic vinegar, English brown
sauce, cooked onions… It seems
that the original spirit is still
going strong. Not exactly subtle
but rich, aromatic and very entertaining.
Gets very coffeeish after, say fifteen
minutes. Mouth: the mouth feel is
a bit weak, bizarrely. Maybe that’s
why they decided to finish it. Quite
some coffee, bitter chocolate, cloves
and burnt cake plus big notes of
peat but the ‘middle’
of all that is curiously empty.
Everything happens at the back of
the tongue. Gets quite drying after
a moment, more an more coffeeish
(un-sugared espressso), and the
medium long finish is even drier
and more drying. I’m sorry
but I don’t like it too much,
it’s sort of unsatisfying.
But the rather extravagant nose
saves it from drowning as far as
I’m concerned. 80
points.

Ledaig
22 yo 1972/1995 (51.3%, Cadenhead)
Colour: gold. Nose: certainly more
discrete at first nosing but certainly
subtler. Superb notes of old beeswax,
paraffin, old book, old turpentine,
linseed oil, getting then quite
mineral on whiffs of fireplace and
wet stones. Gets then seriously
peaty and beautifully vegetal (smoked
tea, seaweed, apple skin, walnut
burs). Quite some camphor and eucalyptus
(Vicks), clean horse stable. Something
sweet in the background (strawberries?).
Maybe it doesn’t sound so
but it’s really delicate.
I like it a lot. Mouth: oh yes,
it’s so much more like it
when compared with the finished
one. Powerful, assertive, extremely
peaty just like an Ardbeg or a Brora
from the same year, it almost tastes
young. Quite some liquorice and
pepper, apple skin and walnuts,
crystallized lemons, strong tea,
salt… Even chilli or wasabi.
Really strong, a genuine peat monster
on the palate (and the nose was
so delicate!) The finish is long
like a day without bread as we say
here, peaty, waxy and liquoricy…
Gee, what a monster indeed. More
complexity on the palate would have
propelled it even above my 92
points. (that was another
wonder from our friend Konstantin)

And
also Ledaig
18 yo 1972 (55.9%, James MacArthur)
The nose is really powerful, pure,
clean and maritime, excellent. The
palate is sweeter but the balance
is perfect. Notes of oysters, pepper
and salt plus marzipan. Perfect,
92 points.

WHISKYFUN'S
HALL OF FRIENDS INTERVIEW

This
is a brand new rubric! From
now on, we’ll publish
interviews of whisky friends
from time to time ‘cause
we think it’s always
very interesting to know a
little more about the background
and views of all these great
- and sometimes crazy - people
who share the same passion!
So, if you’re a friend,
get prepared to get an email
with a few ritual questions…
That may happen next week,
next month or next year but
it'll happen! Let's kick this
off with...

KONSTANTIN
GRIGORIADIS

Hi
Konstantin, where do you
live and what’s special
there?
My Name is Konstantin Grigoriadis;
I was born in Vienna/Austria
on 13/01/1965. From the
age of 1 year old I was
living in Thessalonica /
Greece where I finished
school. In 1982 I came back
to Vienna for my studies
(“Computer Science”),
where I live now. The Special
things in Vienna (Austria)
are the fantastic sweets
and pastries ;-) and the
beautiful white winters
(it’s just like a
Thomas Kinkade drawing).
.

Who
or what made you discover
whisky?

Till
2003, the only alcohol I was
drinking in a full year was
1 or 2 double Four Roses with
ice or Southern Comfort with
ice! No beer, no wine, no
nothing, just mineral water,
fruit juices, and hot chocolate.
One day I was in a supermarket
in Vienna, when I saw a nice
bottle of a 16y (WOW) Scottish
Whisky called Single Malt
from Lagavulin… I thought,
“let’s give it
a try to see how such an “old”
whisky tastes, time to try
something new”….
At home, the first thing I
did was to open the box and
read the information about
the whisky. While reading
about the regions of Scotland
and the different malts, I
opened the bottle. Cool, the
stuff smelled like smoked
ham!!!! I had to try it…
I took a tumbler put some
ice in it and poured me a
small amount. Once out of
the Bottle, the intense smell
got even stronger, then the
first taste: HELL the stuff
was good, strong but good!!!
(even with ice) . This had
nothing to do with the other
stuff I knew. The experience
was so intense for me, that
next day I bought all the
other malts, from the series
(Oban, Dalwhinnie, Talisker,
etc) and tasted them one by
one. Next thing I did was
to search for more Information,
about Scotland and its Malts.
Like in the movie “No5
Lives”, “I need
input, more input…”

Why
do you like whisky?

Well,
whisky is for me more than
a “beverage”,
as I said before, the only
alcohol I drink is whisky,
nothing else. With whisky
came the love of Scotland
and its History and came the
love for antique books and
drawings. But I think the
primary reasons why I like
whisky are the variety of
tastes and the fact that each
bottle that’s not been
tasted yet is like a nicely
packed gift, waiting to be
opened. It is the quest for
something new, or something
very old.

Do
you have a favourite distillery?

I
like everything that I categorize
as “good” and
that matches my tastes…
Of course I have preferences,
like Highland Park, Port Ellen,
Ardbeg, Bowmore, etc but I
taste everything! Many not
so “well known”
distilleries have beautiful
bottlings and I believe, that
EVERY Distillery has some
good stuff, even if I didn’t
tasted it yet ;-).

What’s
your favourite expression?

As
I said before I have my own
specific taste and I like
all expressions, as long as
they match my tastes…
(peat, iodine, salt, medicinal,
maritime, fruity, diesel ;-)
etc…)

What’s
your best – or most
vivid – memory regarding
whisky?

Many,
but the most vivid one is
the trip we did to Scotland
with Mario Prinz, the owner
of Potstill in Vienna. It
is (till now) the most beautiful
memory I have regarding whisky
and Scotland. Check for yourself,
here are the pictures: with
a short report and the
complete
photo album.

Is
there a specific bottling
you’re looking for?

Not
one bottling, thousands!!,
all the stuff out there that
I didn’t taste yet ;-)
The older ones are preferred…

Imagine
you had a magic wand, what
would you change in the whisky
world?

Yes,
if had this power, I would
make myself Emperor of the
World, ehh, just kidding (or
not??) Now, seriously, I would
change the POV many people
have on whisky, that whisky
is a thing about prestige,
and that if you know about
it and can afford to buy expensive
whiskies, you are Somebody…
Whisky is made for drinking
and sharing with other nice
people, for having a good
time… not for “bunkering”,
not only for having it, not
for being somebody…
Would you collect vintage
salami?…

Have
you been to Scotland? What’s
your favourite place there?

I
was there many, many times
in my mind, but only 3 times
in real life. My favourite
places (yes, here I have favourites)
are Islay, the Orkneys, islands
in general. I love the rough
sea and weather, I love the
sea in general.

Do
you also, like us at Whiskyfun,
like music? Which kind?

I
like all kinds of music that
matches my tastes… When
I was a teenager I loved heavy
metal (Motorhead, Scorpions,
Nazareth, Deep Purple, etc)
then I loved Modern Talking
& Samantha Fox (wow, what
a girl). Now I listen to everything…
(Anastacia for ex.)

Is
there another ‘liquid’
you like, apart from whisky?
What’s your favourite
expression of it?

Yes,
fruit juices, water, iced
coffee and hot chocolate.

Anything
to add?

Yes, “People, please
be more open minded, don’t
take everything so seriously,
whisky should be FUN, not
STRESS!, life is too short
for that !” That’s
why your homepage is called
“WhiskyFun”, not
“WhiskyStress”
;-).

Glenrothes
33 yo 1969/2003 (46.8%, Hart Bros)
Colour: straw. Nose: starts like
a quiet old unsherried Speysider,
very flowery and vanilled. Lots
of nectar, buttercups and light
‘breakfast’ honey (even
corn syrup) plus lots of vanilla
crème, quince paste…
gets then slightly yeasty and mashy
(amazing after 33 years, although
that may come from the wood), yoghurty
and also a little cardboardy. Then
we have a few herbal notes (celery,
discreet aniseed) and then there’s
the oak, with quite some soft tannins
and a little black pepper. Classical
and not too expressive, let’s
check the palate.

Mouth:
a rather tannic and drying start,
alas, with little aromatic structure
that could bear with it. Quite some
vanilla, tea, camomile, apple skin
and walnuts but that’s not
enough I’m afraid. Gets more
and more drying, especially at the
finish, when your tongue starts
to stick to your palate. Too bad.
77 points.

Glenrothes
1969/2000 (53.4%, McNeill’s
Choice, cask #19217)
A bottle of German fame. Colour:
straw. Nose: much, much more expressive
and it’s not just the alcohol.
Amazing notes of fresh herbs right
at the start, eucalyptus, crushed
fresh mint leaves… then lots
of green bananas, avocado flesh,
Tibetan incense (yes, that’s
a different one), apple juice…
And then we get the oakiness and
all the spices that go along (white
pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon) plus loads
of spearmint. Just superb (it seems
you were right, guys). Mouth: an
explosive attack on just the same
flavours (eucalyptus, mint and bananas
to cut a long story short). Goes
on with cough syrup, lots of ginger,
pepper, very ripe melon (something
of an old Bruichladdich here), quince,
spearmint again… What a presence.
And the finish is very long, still
invading, not sweet but flavourful
(lots of vanilla now), getting nicely
dry. Very, very good but hard to
find, they made just 33 bottles
of this one at the time. 92
points.

And
also Glenrothes
1972/1996 (43%, OB)
Very honeyed and fruity, extremely
expressive. Lots of oranges and
lots of flowers. The palate is full
bodied, more nervous than most other
official Glenrothes I could taste
and maybe more complex as well.
Really excellent, 91 points.

Glen
Mhor 1965/1991 (56.4%, Signatory,
cask #202, 300 bottles)
I often have problems with Glen
Mhor – often too ‘foxy’
for my tastes -, despite all the
good specialized literature I could
read. Let’s see if that would
change… Colour: deep amber,
brownish. Nose: rather smooth and
round at first nosing, starting
mostly on coffee and bitter chocolate
– it must be a sherry version.
Not overly expressive for a while
but then we have kind of a burst
of flowery and fruity notes.

Peonies,
roses and lilies plus very ripe
strawberries. It gets then meatier
and meatier (rabbit with sauce forestière
- mushrooms) and then it’s
back to coffee and chocolate plus
hints of mint leaves. A nice trip,
that’s for sure. Mouth: a
great presence and lots of oomph
(not exactly a pleonasm). Maybe
a tad too winey at the attack, with
a certain sourness but then we have
lots of caramel sauce, roasted raisins,
gingerbread, rancio… Old Port,
orange sauce, highly concentrated
fruit liqueur, notes of cough syrup,
camphor… Maybe hints of rubber
but that’s okay. A long, fruity,
quite vinous finish, maybe a little
too hot but the whole is very enjoyable,
although not exactly easily drinkable
for it’s so ‘thick’
and winey. 87 points.

Glen
Mhor 1979/1994 (66.7%, Gordon &
MacPhail ‘cask’)
A whopping strength, let’s
prepare the water jug… Nose:
quite expressive despite the high
alcohol, with again lots of coffee,
caramel and chocolate plus maybe
these notes of peonies we already
had in the Signatory. But let’s
not burn our nose… With water
(reduced to roughly 45%): gets much
more austere, dry, almost farmy
as if there was quite some peat.
Lots of hay, smoked tea, old papers,
chalk. Hints of vanilla flavoured
milk, rice cake… Mouth (neat
– aaargh): extremely fruity,
sweet, almost sugary… and
burning indeed. Let’s not
be reckless and try it with water:
yes, that works, with again an enjoyable
smokiness plus lots of lapsang souchong
tea, pepper, dried herbs (thyme)
and dried pears. Great balance and
very interesting smokiness. The
best part is probably the very long
and waxy, phenolic finish. Not unlike
a strong tea liqueur (try to make
some, it’s very easy and quite
good, you just have to let some
good tea infuse in plain alcohol
and then ad a little sugar). Anyway,
88 points for this
excellent Glen Mhor.

And
also Glen Mhor 1979/2004 (43%, Gordon
& MacPhail)
A slightly weak and off-beat version
with these 'strange' notes that
I often find in Glen Mhor. Yes,
must be me... Now, I think it's
much better than some earlier ones
such as some of the 8yo's. 78
points.

Glen
Mhor 34 yo 1966/2000 (50%, Douglas
Laing OMC, 396 bottles)
This one is much better than most
Glen Mhors I know, maybe even than
the RM’s (not that the two
great ones we just had, that is).
Not really ‘different’
but nicely chocolaty, malty and
raisiny, with a nice balance. 85
points.

MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: this is not the first
time I post about Etta
James and it's probably
not the last. Today we'll have
a sweetish yet moving (lots of
strings) At
last.mp3 from 1961. So excellent...
And after all, all superstars
had their 'strings incident' (Billie,
Bird...) Please buy Miss James'
music!

September
8, 2006

TASTING
- TWO 1966 LOCHSIDES

Lochside
37 yo 1966/2004 (47.7%, Jack Wieber’s
Old Train Line, cask #7543)
These 1966 Lochsides are always
very good, so we have high expectations…
Colour: gold. Nose: not highly demonstrative
at first nosing, more on almond
milk and old books than on tropical
fruits. Something like sea water,
cold tea… Gets then much mintier
and more herbal (the pros would
write ‘like a walk in the
forest after the rain at 7am’).
Wet moss, fern, mushrooms, pine
needles…

All
that is quite subtle, it’s
more a whispering malt for a moment
but then it does take off, on eucalyptus,
even more pine needles and hints
of tiger balm and then we’re
back to almonds/marzipan. Complex
and delicate, let’s just hope
the palate stood the distance. Mouth:
well, it is very oaky as expected
but the ‘substance’
is big enough to handle it. Starts
on lots of citrus fruits (like crystallized
oranges), beeswax, bergamot sweets,
quince jelly… Getting then
quite spicy and salty, with lots
of oomph despite the 37 years. Notes
of liqueur-filled chocolate, plum
eau-de-vie, crystallized ginger…
Gets more and more complex, with
notes of mocha, hazelnut liqueur,
praline (Nutella?) Amazing that
the palate is so expressive while
the nose was a little shy, it’s
usually the contrary that happens
with very old malts. What’s
more, the finish is superbly balanced
(but not very long), on bitter oranges
and milk chocolate plus ginger…
In short, maybe not the best 1966
Lochside but it’s still beautiful
one. 91 points.

Lochside
25 yo 1966/1991 (62.7%, Signatory,
cask #3909)
Colour: gold. Nose: the heavy alcohol
brings a few coffeeish notes at
first nosing, with also something
cardboardy and chocolaty. Also quite
grassy. Not really ‘Lochside’
but this one does probably need
water. Let’s try that…
Reduced to roughly 45%: oh, no,
that doesn’t work, it’s
still spirity and unexpressive,
with maybe just some added hints
of hydrocarbons and a faint touch
of old bottle effect (slightly metallic).
I’m sure the palate will be
nicer… Mouth (neat): well,
it’s better indeed but spirity,
sugary and very simple to tell you
the truth. Maybe Lochside needs
(needed) lots of ageing to get its
very distinctive profile? It’s
true the old official 10 yo was
far from being a stunning malt in
my book. Anyway, back to this one
but reduced this time: well, it
does get marginally better but it’s
slightly simple considering its
pedigree. Notes of oranges, orange
drops, pear juice… Add to
that a pinch of salt and that’s
it. The finish is just as disappointing,
slightly cardboardy and sugarish.
Well, there are many better 1966
Lochsides by Signatory, but I feel
this cask was really below par.
Or maybe my expectations were too
high considering the distillery
and the vintage? Now, it’s
good whisky… 79 points.

MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: do you remember when
Hammond B-3 organs were ruling
soul-jazz? (yes, together with
flutes...) Charles
Earland was one of
the bests and I'm sure his Happy
'cause I'm goin' home.mp3
will sound familiar to your ears.
I love this even if it's a bit
'commercial' (but what isn't?)
Please buy the great late Charles
Earland's music.

September
7, 2006

TASTING
- TWO 1977 PORT ELLENS

Port
Ellen 15 yo 1977/1992 (40%, Turatello,
Italy)
Colour: dark straw. Nose: starts
as fresh as possible, on lots of
apple juice and just the right amount
of ‘aged’ peat. Extremely
farmy, smelling like a cow stable,
wet hay, wet dog… all sorts
of animals in fact. Right, also
fish, oysters, clams, cooking crabs…
Gets then quite buttery, mashy,
on porridge, muesli… Very
extreme in its wildness despite
the low strength and most interesting,
even if it gets then slightly beer-ish
(stale Kronenbourg).

Mouth:
excellent attack despite the 40%,
sweet and peaty like… a peated
apple. Right, and then we have tea
and white pepper, cinnamon, ginger..
Alas, it gets then a little too
cardboardy and drying, maybe too
many tannins (grape skin) and the
relative lack of alcohol makes all
that stand out even more. But the
finish is rather nice, even if a
little too short. Okay, it’s
probably too tea-ish and even watery.
85 points for the
superb nose.

Port
Ellen 23 yo 1977/2001 (50%, Douglas
Laing OMC, 318 bottles, US)
Colour: dark straw. Nose: sharper
and more austere at first nosing,
rather close in style to the famous
22 yo 1978 Rare Malts (which is,
of course, good news). Beautiful
whiffs of smoke (not only peat smoke,
also wood and coal), tar, new tyres.
Gets then slightly cardboardy and
dusty but then we have all the sea
elements (breeze, shells, weed –
I mean seaweed) plus liquorice roots,
smoked tea, notes of ham, beer…
And it’s always sharp and
straightforward. Excellent, really.
Mouth: again a perfect sharpness
and a great straightforwardness,
with just a maelstrom of peat, pepper,
lemon juice and liquorice roots
but these single four elements are
so perfectly balanced that it’s,
err, perfect (if you like this kind
of very austere profile, that is).
Finish: very long, peaty, peppery,
with also quite some baked apples
and a little cinnamon. Perfect in
its simplicity, 92 points.

No
Age Statement (NAS) Single
Malt Non Chill Filtered
Scotch Whiskies; Proof that
a divine Entity loves you
and wants you to be happy.

Years
ago at the infancy of my
journey into the world of
Scotch whisky I read of
a supposed basic rule; that
No Age Statement (NAS) single
malts were generally too
young and immature for quality
enjoyment. Essentially this
conventional ‘wisdom’
pointed directly at any
whisky under a stated age
of 10 years, for a time
I accepted this notion.
Happily over the ensuing
years I have learned differently,
however I suspect that there
are many, at any stage of
their journey, who still
believe that NAS whiskies
are not a quality dram.
Discussed in this epistle
are four NAS single malts
that completely disprove
this outdated and incorrect
notion; as an added bonus
these single malts are usually
well priced for everyday
enjoyment. They are vibrant,
full of flavour and are
sure to please your palate
and will be welcome additions
to your collection and bar.

1)
Aberlour a’bunadh
Batch # 14 59.5 % A.B.V.
Score 92 Points

This stunning whisky from
Aberlour was made to recreate
the style of whisky produced
at the distillery in the 19th
century well before the introduction
of ex-bourbon American casks
into the Scotch whisky industry.
Batches of a’bunadh
are made up of specially selected
butts that have previously
held Spanish Oloroso sherry
wine and the batches are made
up of 80 to 100 butts each.

A’bunadh
is bottled at cask strength,
the strength of which varies
from batch to batch, and
without the addition of
spirit caramel or chill
filtration. The distillery
actually prefers that there
to be some slight color
variation from batch to
batch; this is more authentic
to the original style of
whisky. Since the whisky
is bottled at cask strength
without the addition of
water the whisky possesses
a greater aromatic complexity.
A’bunadh batch # 14
has earthy notes on the
nose mixed with huge sweet
sherry & spice. The
taste is a well balance
combination of malt &
grape that always delights
me. The finish is filled
with sweet notes, brown
sugar and is medium long.
There is a lot in this whisky
that is quite perfect and
for those who love a malt
filled with overwhelming
sherry, this is it.

2)
Benromach Organic 43% A.B.V.
Score 87 Points

This is the newest whisky
from Gordon & MacPhail,
the owners of Benromach distillery,
and they proudly (& quite
rightly so) announce it is
the only single malt on the
market that can claim to be
organic in compliance and
fully certified by the UK’s
Soil Association.

Gordon
& MacPhail have gone to
great lengths to ensure that
the whole process from the
raw ingredients through distillation,
maturation and bottling is
certified organic to the high
standards set by the Soil
Association. To ensure the
highest quality distillate
spring water from the Romach
Hills, Scottish organic barley
and organic yeast are used
as well as using virgin American
casks for maturation. Additionally
Organic is bottled without
chill filtration, at natural
colour (without the addition
of spirit caramel) and at
43% A.B.V.
Golden brown in colour, Benromach
Organic is a fresh vibrant
whisky with a strong oak influence.
The nose reveals sweet, charred
oak aromas with fresh fruit
notes (bananas and pineapples).
An earthy, toasted aroma also
present. The palate exposes
sweet, vanilla and toffee
flavours. Hints of green apples
and orange peel with a rich
resinous note. (credit
www.benromach.com)
I recently tasted this exceptional
malt at the Highlander Inn
in Craigellachie and was both
delighted and surprised at
the nose, taste and finish
of this very fine dram. The
famed bar manager of the Highlander,
Tatsuya Minagawa, advised
our group to drive to Gordon
& MacPhail’s shop
in Elgin and buy two bottles
each, such was is his respect
for this dram. As interesting
back up to this whisky is
its stable mate Benromach
Traditional 40% (NAS), the
first whisky to be released
after the reopening of the
distillery in 1998 and released
in 2004.

3)
Laphroaig Quarter Cask 48%
A.B.V. Score 91 Points

This is the single malt that
has taken the Islay whisky
world by storm and for many
of us our first in depth look
at Laphroaig Quarter Cask
was in Dave Broom’s
article in Whisky Magazine
(issue 42). In the article
Robert Hicks, then Allied
Domecq’s master blender
reveals to Dave how Laphroaig
commissioned the Speyside
Cooperage to make 50 quarter
casks from first fill oak,
each with a capacity of 105
liters.

A
vatting of different ages
from standard size casks was
then matured for a further
period in the quarter casks.
The increased whisky to wood
ratio and increased contact
of charcoal with the whisky
resulted in a faster maturation
and increased vanilla notes.
The overall effect has produced
a stunning whisky with lots
of smoky and sweet flavours
that is vibrant but not over
whelming in any one area,
magic!
The nose is full of peat,
peat and some more peat thrown
in for good measure yet is
still vibrant and fresh. My
first nosing of this whisky
reminded me of my first taste
of Laphroaig 10 many, many
years ago. The taste is very
peaty and yet malty sweet
(vanilla) at the same time,
truly an exceptional experience
for those who adore peat.
The ending is long and full
of more sweet peat with some
wood notes.
Happily in my part of the
world Laphroaig Quarter Cask
is only available in one liter
bottles!

4)
Ardbeg Uigeadail 54.2% A.B.V.
Score 85 Points

Ardbeg Uigeadail, first introduced
in 2004, is pronounced 'Oog-a-dal'
a justly famed single malt
that takes its name from the
loch on Islay that supplies
the peaty water to the distillery.
In just a few short years
this malt has garnered a reputation
around the world and has added
yet another stunner to the
Ardbeg line up.

Uigeadail
is a special vatting of both
bourbon and sherry casks to
produce a slightly more smooth
& less wild of Ardbeg,
bringing together its traditional
deep, smoky notes with the
luscious, sweet, raisiny tones
of old ex-Sherry casks. I
have detected damp, musty
hessian on the nose mingled
with peat however this characteristic
has been missing from the
most current release I tasted
earlier this year, no matter,
it’s still very drinkable
and tastes slightly more ‘clean’.
I was happy to have noted
both notes in the various
bottlings. Uigeadail is bottled
at a ‘traditional strength’
of 54.2% A.B.V. and without
chill filtration.

So
there you have a brief look
at four non chill filtered
No Age Statement single malt
scotch whiskies all of which
are filled with flavour &
depth on both the nose and
palate. Single malts are all
about perspective and these
four help fill a affordable
and drinkable position in
the world of single malts.
Slainte - Lawrence

MUSIC
– Highly recommended
listening - Why
don'tcha do me right.mp3 by
Frank
Zappa and the Mothers
of Invention (that was on Absolutely
free, 1967). Almost 40 years,
that's unbelievable ! Please,
please...

Well, I just skimmed a good
thirty books about whisky,
old or recent, and I noticed
that very little experts
even mentioned Glenugie’s
name, except for Brian Townsend
and his excellent ‘Scotch
Missed’. Or Michael
Jackson but it’s true
that his comments in the
first edition of his Companion
(1989 I believe) were not
very engaging: ‘Glenugie
had plenty of character,
but the elements are not
well combined or balanced’.
I must confess I’ve
never been too much into
Glenugie myself and that
I always tasted it without
really noticing it was ‘Glenugie’.
It’s only very recently,
after having sampled a fabulous
1967 bottled in 1989 for
Sestante, which I rated
no less than 95 points (please
see my notes below), that
I felt the urge to have
a look at my old notes.
Indeed, I had tasted only
eleven Glenugies until today
but I just checked that
my lowest rating ever was
85 points (for an old Cadenhead
Dumpy distilled in 1966)
whilst my highest mark was
already very high: 93 points
for another Cadenhead Dumpy,
from 1959 this time. Average
rating for Glenugie: 89
points! That’s very,
very high! So, maybe it
was time to dig slightly
deeper and to stop overlooking
Glenugie…
The books say it all started
in 1833 and that the founder,
Donald McLeod & Co,
called it first Invernettie
but renamed it Glenugie
almost immediately, in 1837,
and converted it into a
brewery. That could have
been the end of its very
short life as a distillery
but Scottish Highland Distillers
bought it around 1875 and
reconverted it into a small
distillery. Alas, the business
wasn’t good for SHD
and it had to sell Glenugie
to George Whyte & Co
in 1879, the latter having
no more luck and having
to resell it to Simon Forbes
in 1884. Phew… Thank
God, Glenugie’s star
started to shine from that
period on, despite the general
hard times of the early
20th century. Yet, it closed
during WWI and only operated
for four years between the
two wars (1923-1924 and
1937-1939). Gin maker Seagar
Evans and Co had bought
Glenugie before the war,
together with several other
distilleries, but was taken
over by US company Schenley
in 1956, under the general
name of Long John Distillers.
Long John was very successful
and also built Kinclaith
in 1957 and Tormore in 1958.
Glenugie was possibly going
into their other blends
in the 1960’s: Islay
Mist and Black Bottle.
It’s Schenley that
really pushed Glenugie,
refurbished it completely
and converted it to so called
modern technologies (oil
burning instead of coal,
new stills, condensers instead
of worm coils etc.) The
production doubled at the
time. In 1963, like at many
distilleries, on-site malting
was stopped. In 1975, Schenley
sold Glenugie to the brewing
company Withbread. Alas,
when the 1980’s downturn
happened, Glenugie got closed
and as it was also the time
when the North Sea oil industry
was skyrocketing, the distilling
equipment, including the
two stills, was removed
and the buildings got quickly
converted into mechanics
workshops.
So, today, Glenugie isn’t
a very well known malt,
probably because it’s
never been sold as an official
bottling – and maybe
because Peterhead is really
off the beaten tracks -
but I’ve checked that
it has now quite a few devoted
admirers, including in Maniacal
circles. And including yours
truly from now on. -
Serge (picture taken from
Brian Townsend's book Scotch
Missed)

TASTING
- THREE GLENUGIES

Glenugie
20 yo 1968 (54.8%, Sestante ‘bird
label’, sherry)
We also have the 43% versions of
both Sestantes, we’ll taste
them later on. Colour: full gold.
Nose: starts on a rather huge smokiness,
with lots of torrefaction and a
certain chalkiness. Those notes
do then mingle with some rather
sharp fruity notes (cider apples,
fresh walnuts) and then we have
some grassy and vegetal notes: pu-erh
tea, grass, moss, fern. It gets
then rather sweeter and rounder,
on oranges, bananas, coconuts…
Something that reminds me of the
older Springbanks although this
Glenugie is probably more discreet.
A shier Springbank? Lots of subtlety,
that is. Mouth: a sweet and resinous
attack, with a nice smokiness in
the background. Lots of spearmint,
a little passion fruit, tangerines,
dried oranges… More expressive
than on the nose. Great bitterness
that gives it structure, getting
very spicy (pepper and cloves, unusual
hints of caraway seeds) but not
less fruity. Full bodied and rich
but not thick at all, with a long,
spicy and fruity finish that brings
new flavours such as chlorophyll,
lemon drops, pink grapefruit…
Too bad the nose was a little too
quiet because this palate is fab.
90 points.

Glenugie
1967/1989 (59.5%, Sestante ‘bird
label’ sherry)
Colour: amber. Nose: much more sherry,
obviously. Lots of coffee and smokiness
again but also quite some old rancio
(old Maury), smoked tea, orange
cake. Huge notes of orange liqueur
arising, as well as passion fruit,
papayas, pineapple… This one
is much more demonstrative than
the 1968. Superb notes of pine needles,
eucalyptus, camphor… Very
old Chartreuse (Tarragones), old
Montrachet… This is grand,
no doubt, both complex and extravagant.
Mouth: oh yes, this palate is just
as fab as the 1968’s, maybe
even better. Something clearly ‘Lochside-esque’
on the fruity side (both fresh and
dried) but also with tons of spices.
Great notes of figs. Really multilayered
– please see the 1968, it’s
almost the same but with even more
complexity now and also a slight
saltiness – like a beautiful
final somersault. Fabulous whisky
that keeps developing for ages.
95 points. (mucho
gracias Bert)

Glenugie
22 yo 1981/2004 (52.5%, Chieftain's,
cask #5134, 654 bottles)
Ouch, this time may have a hard
time now… Let’s wait
for a good fifteen minutes and
drink a lot of water… ….
…. Right, let’s go.
Colour: gold. Nose: completely
different, extremely milky, with
lots of vanilla crème but
also quite some cardboardy notes.
It’s in another league,
obviously, but it’s far
from being ridiculous. Nice notes
of fresh herbs (chive) and hints
of nutmeg… Quite some porridge
as well, boiled cereals, cooked
rice… And always lots of
milk. Don’t get me wrong,
it’s not ‘lactic’
at all (in the sense that it’s
not a cask problem – no
problems at all in fact). Hints
of lilac make it a little fresher,
at that. Mouth: ah, we’re
a little closer to the wonderful
Sestantes now. Quite some bitter
orange, grapefruit, spices (pepper
and cloves), icing sugar, grilled
herbs (again these notes of thyme)…
And the finish is long, citrusy
and spicy… Not quite as
stunning on the palate as the
older ones but it does maintain
its rank. Excellent Glenugies!
87 points.

MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: maybe Nick's praise
of Didier Lockwood sort of ingnited
a fire as we'll have quite some
music by the 'French school of
jazz violin'... Today it's Jean-Luc
Ponty - of Zappa
and the Mothers fame - who's doing
a pre-electronica and rather Terryrileyesque
Individual
choice.mp3 (that was in 1983).
Please buy Jean-Luc Ponty's music.

“Listen,
you’ve just got to get tickets
for this gig. It’s supposed
to be awesome. Mika
is going to be the next big pop
sensation, another Freddie Mercury
and Queen. Everyone’s going
to be there, and it’ll be
the last gig he ever plays in a
small venue. You know, it’ll
be one of those nights that in ten
year’s time people will say,
‘I was there’”.
Hard sell or what? So I checked
out this Mika on that priceless
source of music chatter, Popbitch.
They said, “This Autumn, Island
records unveil the artist who should
be the breakout superstar of the
next few years”, adding that
“His sound is like nothing
else on the market”. Further
investigation revealed an engaging
but pretty thin story about a boy
born in Lebanon, brought up in Paris
and London, who was lost in angst
but rediscovered himself through
music, who learnt his singing skills
in the chorus of the Royal Opera,
who was mentored in song writing
by American composer and producer
Jodi
Marr, who wowed the people at
Universal Music who signed him to
subsidiary Island (though his forthcoming
single and album will be on the
old Disco label Casablanca), and
then recorded his first album in
LA under the guiding hand of veteran
Canadian producer Greg
Wells (he also produced Paris
Hilton’s new album). His surname
is a mystery (but I can tell you
now he shouldn’t be confused
with Finnish accordionist Mika Väyrynen,
or Indian bhangra artiste Mika Mehndi).
And although he’s obviously
talented, quite how he pulled all
of this off is a bit of a mystery
too. Did I tell you that he has
“an American father, whom
he describes rather vaguely as being
‘in finance’”?
(continued...)

advertisement
- that part of the review was
sponsored by:

end
of advertisement - next part of
the review...

We’re
packed into the Borderline like
sardines. It’s hot, excited,
noisy and unpleasant. Everyone seems
to know each other. There’s
a huge family contingent, and a
lot of braying smug and self-satisfied
record company types, who seem to
think that the mere mortals who
actually paid for their tickets
are second class citizens. They
display what can only be called,
with apologies to all my porcine
friends, the manners of pigs. There
are also fans – very excited
too (“I thought the boys at
the front were going to ejaculate”
said the Photographer as we left),
a lot of them clearly underage,
and under the influence of a bit
too much beer (hey Serge, did you
know that Sol is cool again –
how did they manage that?). Outside
there are members of Mika’s
Secret Society (“I take
it you want to go to my gigs for
free and get all sorts of cool things
and be a part of this...epidemic?”)
– actually I think it’s
what you would normally call a Street
Team – handing out Mika rosettes
and lollipops. They’re practically
peeing themselves too. In fact everyone
is so excited that they’re
not paying the slightest attention
to support Mara
Carlyle, who gamely tries to
play through the overwhelming noise
with her accompanist on guitar,
while she sang and played the ukulele
and saw. We were quite impressed.
(continued...)

advertisement
- that part of the review was
sponsored by:

end
of advertisement - next part of
the review...

Mika’s
band appears to be another mystery,
so I can’t tell you who they
were. But they were good (“but
were they good enough?” I
asked myself afterwards), even though
they were obviously as nervous as
hell at the start. Mika is a tall
young man with a mop of curly hair
who oozes self-confidence and charm.
His voice is quite remarkable, a
falsetto that is very reminiscent
of the Bee Gees, but with a range
that takes him easily down to Freddie
Mercury. He flops and dances round
the centre of the stage in a rather
camp fashion, and thanks us between
each song “for coming out”,
and at one point for “making
all this happen, it’s been
a remarkable two weeks”. He
sings, unless I miscounted, six
songs, and having come on stage
at 9.10 pm is off by 9.40 pm, no
encore. Songs included opener ‘Love
today’ (“après
ski Euro pop trash” yelled
the Photographer, “but bloody
good”) ‘Billy Brown’
and ‘Relax take it easy’
from the forthcoming single, ‘Big
girl’ (that must have been
the two who stood in front of us
and eclipsed the stage like a pair
of two huge moons, or do I mean
morons?) ‘Lollipop Girl’
(which a mind-numbingly asinine
refrain), and Mika’s ‘anthem’,
‘Grace Kelly’, a witty
and knowing piece, brilliantly performed,
with a huge debt to Queen. (continued...)

advertisement
- that part of the review was
sponsored by:

end
of advertisement - next part of
the review...

Yes,
he was good, but was he good enough?
And if he’s the next Freddie
Mercury, then where’s his
Brian May? And does he have the
depth and substance to go beyond
a relatively small number of highly
polished tunes? And will his backers
have patience with him if he fails
to deliver on their up-front investment?
Actually don’t even bother
to answer that one. And how long
will it take for his fans to see
through the crassly insincere Myspace
marketing? But I’ll tell you
one thing. The day after the gig
I read that he’s playing at
Dingwalls in November. Listen, you’ve
just got to get tickets for this
gig. It’s going to be awesome.
Mika is going to be the next big
pop sensation, another Freddie Mercury
and Queen. Everyone’s going
to be there … - Nick Morgan
(photograph - not banners - by Kate)

advertisement
- that part of the review was
sponsored by:

end
of advertisement - end of review

Thanks
Nick! I love marketing, I love advertising,
I love prelaunches, I love preprelaunches,
I love prepreprelaunches, I love
postlaunches, I love clubs, I love
CRM, I love London, I love Mika
(well, I love Hakkinen even more)
and all is well in the best of worlds.
Oh, by the way, I hope you won’t
take umbrage because I sold your
excellent review to a few sponsors,
will you? PS: Mika’s lovely
music can be found on his lovely
Myspace
page. To our distinguished readers,
Nick and Kate will fly to Uncle
Sam's for some holidays so we'll
probably get no new reviews for
a while... Unless we get something
from the good old US of A? We'll
see... Oh, damn, with all the money
and love flowing in, I almost forgot
to add Kate's wonderful (and truly
lovely, and truly Sergentpepperesque
- or Adamantesque?) photograph of
Mika at The Borderline:

Mouth:
sweet and grainy at first sip, with
maybe these slightly ‘twisted’
fruity notes we used to get in old
Edradours (the new ones are much
better I think). Hints of rotting
oranges, perfume, dried lycchees.
Quite some oak it appears, as the
whole gets then rather tannic, tea-ish,
slightly drying and cardboardy.
This palate is frankly less interesting
than the nose. Finish; not too long
but well balanced now, mostly on
vanilla flavoured tea and plum sauce.
A nose well worth checking anyway.
77 points.

Bere
Barley 14 yo 1986 (45%, Michel Couvreur,
cask #269, 520 litres)
Michel Couvreur sowed bere barley
on the Orkneys in 1985 and distilled
it at Edradour in 1986. Lots of
people think it was distilled at
Highland Park but it wasn’t
(Royal Mile Whiskies tell you the
whole story). Colour: mahogany.
Nose: oh, this is very, very different
from anything I’ve nosed before
– not only whisky. Starts
extremely aromatic and extravagant
on heavy notes of high game (pheasant),
very, very old Port and rotting
fruits (I can think of pineapples).
Hard to tell you where these weird
but not unpleasant aromas come from,
barley or cask. Also something of
a corn whiskey like McCormick’s
Platte Valley (you know, the jug).
Goes on with notes of Chinese fermented
plum sauce (the one they serve with
Peking duck), sake (while I’m
at it), wild mushrooms, old wine
cellar… Slight hints of gym
socks as well, balsamic vinegar,
walnut stain… Extremely unusual
and interesting, in any case. Mouth:
aoh, it’s just as interestingly
weird as on the nose. Thick and
coating, starting on huge notes
of overcooked coffee, walnut liqueur,
dried morels, sake again…
Alas, we have also something cardboardy,
drying… A strange mixture
indeed, quite far from what we’d
define as ‘whisky’.
Goes on with bread crust, burnt
cake, bitter oranges, armagnac-soaked
prunes, high game again (with bilberry
jam – true)… Quite toffeeish
as well. The finish isn’t
extraordinarily long but on various
forms of oranges (dried, rotten,
crystallized) and mushrooms…
Well, it’s hard to rate this
UFO. Let’s say a conservative
80 points but I
must confess I’m sort of lost
here, sorry. (but thanks, Michel
;-))

Martin
Taylor MBE (awarded
by the Queen for ‘services
to music’) has been playing
a residency at the Pizza Express
Jazz Club (“my favourite jazz
club in London” says Martin).
It’s a tribute to his eminence
in the jazz business that during
a ten day period he is joined by
artistes as diverse as trumpeter
Guy Barker, Scottish singer Alison
Burns, and Scottish pianist
and composer, and long time Taylor
collaborator, David
Newton (did I mention that Mr
Taylor lives in Ayrshire in Scotland,
where he hosts his own international
guitar festival to raise funds to
promote guitar teaching in schools?).
Tonight he’s playing with
French violinist Didier
Lockwood (I don’t
think I can really call him a ‘scraper’)
about whom I’m sure Serge
knows far more than I. In fact it
was only a vaguely recognised name
on the programme, but the genius
of Taylor had impressed me so much
when we last saw him that both pizza,
and Mr Lockwood, seemed worth the
risk.

Now,
I’m not sure if Her Jazzesty
popped down for a pizza and a peek
at her loyal guitarist but clearly
a lot of other folk did. It’s
a holiday weekend so the basement
club is filled with tourists and
out of towners as well as devout
fans. It also turns out that half
of Mr Lockwood’s family are
in too. There are three very well
behaved would be guitar boys from
North London who have come early
to get fretside seats, but by Taylor’s
third big solo they’re crying
coca-cola tears into their ice cream
sundaes, and wondering if they shouldn’t
take up the bass instead. And there’s
the rather bewildered looking table
of blue-shirted Francophile Japanese,
who’d bought their tickets
from a Soho tout on the promise
‘that they’d get to
see Didier play real close up’.

Lockwood
and Taylor first teamed up when
they played with Stephane Grappelli
in the 1970s, which was for both
of them the bedrock of their subsequent
solo careers. It’s fitting
then that one of the songs they
play is Grapelli’s ‘Nuages’.
To be honest I had feared a bit
of a Hot Club de Paris nostalgia
night, but thankfully nothing could
have been further from the truth.
Taylor is noted for his ability
to play both fluid bass lines and
imposing and lyrical melodies at
the same time – tonight he
had a willing bass player in Lockwood,
who was happy to pluck bass lines
as Taylor improvised effortless
solos, as he demonstrated on another
Grapelli favourite, Sony Rollin’s
‘Pent up house’. Taylor
is a remarkably laid back and apparently
jolly fellow – he grins rather
than grimaces his way through his
solos, and some of his music is
a humorous as it is humbling –
take for example ‘Down at
Kokomo’s” (which for
some reason I has thought was called
‘Rum Beach’” where
with dampened strings he turns his
guitar into a steel band –
we could have been in Notting Hill
- and manages to change key by adjusting
the position of his capo mid-tune.
He also played an absurdly complex
solo on his beautiful Vanden
semi-acoustic guitar using only
what would describe as (no doubt
incorrectly) apparent harmonics.
All you really need to know is that
it was difficult and delicious.
I’m not sure if it was during
this piece or the next that Didier
struck out with his wah-wah violin,
but as the evening continued he
became an increasingly dominant
player in the partnership, encouraged
by Taylor. When he spoke in broken
English he apologised “that
I was going to be a nice violinist
but then my brother showed me jazz”
as he introduced esteemed pianist-sibling
Francis Lockwood (“who is
just here as a tourist”) who
formed a trio, and then dueted with
his brother, at which point it seemed
the evening was getting very, well…French.
Didier Lockwood then played a remarkable
solo piece (“from middle east
to middle earth” I scrawled
in my notebook) in which he brought
into play the full gamut of his
heavily laden pedals board. I suppose
it might have been described as
“show off” (he certainly
did the grimace thing) but it held
the audience spellbound as he used
loops, delays and echoes, and every
part of his violin, to paint a vivid
series of musical pictures. My memory
is of a Hebredian seashore with
wild surf and seagulls, but our
Japanese friends got very animated
when they swore they could hear
a chanting football crowd. Quite
simply remarkable.

I’m not very good with jazz
tunes, and not familiar with Taylor’s
recorded work, so there’s
no point trying to give a set list,
although I’m sure they finished
with something that sounded very
much like ‘Putting on the
style’, which was of course
exactly what they had done. I can
simply do no more than urge you
to see Taylor if you can –
he tours extensively and is simply
a pleasure to listen to. And as
for Mr Lockwood, well he was a real
discovery – you should go
and see him too if you can. - Nick
Morgan (photograph by Kate)

Merci
beaucoup, Nick. It might be a little
puzzling that you let our crème
de la crème musicians play
in pizzerias but then again, I guess
if Martin Taylor does it, why not
Didier Lockwood ;-). It’s
true that we have several rather
famous jazz violinists in France,
all more or less spiritual sons
of the great Stéphane ‘Hot
Club’ Grappelli indeed. Didier
Lockwood, Jean-Luc Ponty (of Zappa
and Mahavishnu fame), Dominique
Pifarély, Michel Ripoche
(of Vangelis fame)… All very
different but all very good I think.
Lockwood is maybe the most versatile,
Ponty maybe the most famous, Pifarély
the most ‘avant-gardist’
and uncompromising and Ripoche,
well, long time no hear, I’m
afraid. I’d say they are all
worth a listen. But let’s
have some Martin Taylor now, with
a stunning – and overdubbed
- Miraval.mp3
from 1993 (Miraval is the name of
the French studio where Taylor and
Grappelli recorded their stunning
works together).

TASTING
- TWO 22 yo GLENDRONACHS

Glendronach
1970/1992 (Reserve Cantarelli, hogsheads
#546-547, 1200 bottles)
From a Michelin-starred Italian
restaurant that no longer exists.
Colour: dark amber. Nose: starts
superbly, on bold notes of both
sweet white and red wines. Maury?
Banyuls? Well, I guess it’s
just sherry but maybe was it ‘Pedro’?
Goes on with lots of sultanas, strawberry
pie, pecan pie right out of the
oven, old rum… Then raspberry
ganache, mulberry jam… And
just hints of smoke. Superb, ethereal
sherry with a perfect balance.

Mouth:
a sweet and fruity attack, on strawberry
jam and sultanas again, milk chocolate
and something smoky. Quite some
caramel and honey again, malt, roasted
nuts, old rancio… Maybe not
as complex as on the nose, though,
more a serious, honest high-quality
Speysider. Medium long finish on
a little rum and praline as well
as chocolate and liquorice…
But what a nose! 88 points.
(and thanks, Giovanni)

Glendronach
22 yo 1975/1998 (57.7%, Signatory,
cask #1686, 268 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: oh, again
a very, very nice attack on the
nose but more on ripe plums and
apricots as well as acacia honey
and quite some vanilla. Gets then
very ‘toasty’, on slightly
burnt cake, bread crust… Quite
some smoke as well, like often in
these older Glendronachs. Also quite
flowery (daisies, buttercups). We
have discreet notes of rubber but
the whole is beautiful and very
different from the usual heavily
sherried Glendronachs. Gets very
malty after a while. Mouth: lots
of body, lots of oomph but it’s
very drinkable at almost 58%. Starts
on quite some fine oak and vanilla
fudge, dried apricots and earl grey
tea (bergamot). Goes on with lots
of bitter oranges, candied kumquats,
dried ginger… All that plus
the alcohol tickle your tongue quite
funnily. And again lots of apricot,
ripe yellow plums… So good,
with a finish that’s very
long, maybe just a tad more mainstreamish
but flawless (yellow fruits, malt
and honey). Certainly excellent,
and Signatory had other great Glendronachs
– you may check the Monitor.
91 points.

And
also Glendronach
18 yo 1972 (43%, OB, sherry)
Astonishingly peaty, with a very
dry sherry. Austere but fabulously
balanced, with lots of bitter chocolate
and Smyrna raisins. A very dry palate
that reminds me of the best Marcs
de Bourgogne. Excellent: 92
points.

September
3, 2006

TASTING
- TWO HIGHLAND PARKS

Highland
Park 17 yo 1987/2005 (46%, Whisky
Galore)
Colour: straw. Nose: starts very
fresh, clean and fruity, on lots
of pear juice, apricots, melons,
mirabelle plums… Then flowers,
nectar, honey, buttercups, ‘probably’
heather… Gets then a little
grainy (porridge) as well as nicely
grassy (newly cut grass, hints of
basil) and finally slightly oaky
for more structure. Lots of vannila
as well. A rather simple but totally
flawless Highland Park, probably
one to drink like that rather than
taste. Let’s see…

Highland
Park 1985/2004 (54%, Scott’s
Selection)
Colour: straw. Nose: very, very
similar, just more powerful and
slightly oakier (a little more coffee,
apple skin). Other than that it’s
just the same whisky! Mouth: oh
yes, same comment. It’s the
same whisky, just at a higher strength.
Maybe slightly yeastier and mintier
but that’s all. I can’t
see why I would give it a different
rating: 86 points
(and thanks Jean-Marie).

Mannochmore
22 yo 1977 (56.1%, Chieftain's
Choice)
Colour: straw. Nose: a rather
youthful start on typical notes
of young Speysider: lots of white
fruits (apples and pears) as well
as quite some porridge, grains,
mashed potatoes and just hints
of oak, vanilla and caramel. Quite
enjoyable and rather flawless
in fact but not too much character.
Also hints of coffee.

Mouth:
a sweet attack (pear and apple juice,
pineapple sweets) with lots of tea,
white pepper, oak… A certain
bitterness but it’s okay.
Gets maybe a little too sugary…
Add to that a little liquorice and
that’s it. Medium long, slightly
spirity, oaky and tea-ish finish
with also notes of walnut skin.
An okay malt (that’s all I
could come up with, sorry). 78
points.

Mannochmore
1984/2004 (46%, Helen Arthur)Colour:
gold. Nose: more expressive, with
clear notes of sherry at first nosing.
Old walnuts, old Chardonnay (that
lost its freshness), lots of vanilla,
a little cardboard… Probably
a refill cask. Gets then rather
close to the Chieftains (pears,
porridge) but there’s an extra-layer
of fruits: apricots, very ripe peaches…
Quite some tea as well. Again, nothing
extraordinarily special but it’s
pleasant. Mouth: again, a rather
sherried attack, starting right
on unsugared coffee, coffee flavoured
fudge, walnuts again, something
cardboardy as well… gets drier
after a moment, with lots of tea,
grape skin, green pepper…
Lacks sweetness and roundness, although
there are notes of lavender sweets
coming through now, bitter oranges,
grapefruits… Not exactly acrid
but there’s something rough.
Finish: medium long, rather tea-ish
and oaky with hints of liquorice
and nutmeg. Marginally more interesting
than the Chieftains. 79
points.

and
alsoMannochomore
12 yo (43%, Flora and Fauna)
Straw. Nose: strats on bold notes
of linseed oil, even motor oil,
developing on a little parsley and
mint. Very interesting. Mouth: nice
moutfeel, more on caramelk and cereals,
the whole being quite satisfying
and very drinkable. 80 points.

MUSIC
– Heavily
recommended listening: the late
Don
Pullen was one of
my favourite pianists and here's
an unusually easy Milano
strut.mp3 he recorded in 1978
on the Hammond B-3 (with his friend
Famoudou Don Moye). But beware,
I'll post some much freeer pieces
by this total genius within the
coming months... Please buy the
fabulous Don Pullen's CD's...
(via Penceland)

September
1, 2006

TASTING
- 13 IRISH MALTS +1

First,
a big thanks you to fellow Malt
Maniac Lex who wrote a stunning
piece on Ireland and its malts
and provided me with some of these
samples.

Ambiente
Malt Whiskey (40%, Irish, Germany,
circa 2005)
Probably a Cooley according to Lex.
Colour: almost white. Nose: very
fresh and very fruity at first nosing,
not unlike a good grappa. Lots of
strawberries, gooseberries, white
currants and then quite some milky
and mashy notes (muesli). Uncomplicated
but enjoyable, even if newbies may
think this isn’t whisky when
nosing it blind (and maybe not only
newbies). Mouth: very sweet and
not too bold, to say the least.
Starts a little sugarish, with fructose
and bottled orange juice and develops
on ripe apples. Rather short finish
on fruit eau-de-vie (tutti fruti)
with just a little white pepper.
Okay, the nose was pleasant but
the mouth is quite indefinite I
think. Whiskey? Very young, in any
case. 65 points.

Merrys
Single Malt (40%, Irish, circa 2005)
From Cooley, bottled by Robert A.
Merry & Co. Colour: white wine.
Nose: a bolder start, more frankly
‘whiskey’. Less fruity
(but there’s quite some apple,
banana and gooseberries) and rather
mashier, with quite some porridge
and hints of ginger ale. Not as
clean as the Ambiente and a tad
sourer. Mouth: a little more oomph
than the Ambiente, and more on cereals
and baked apples. Quite grainy,
with also notes of maple syrup but
not much more… Medium long
finish on grain and a slight maltiness.
Well, nothing to get excited about
if you ask me. 67 points.

Erin
Go Bragh Single Malt 6 yo (40%,
Irish, circa 2000)
A rare malt from Midleton distillery.
Colour: pale gold. Nose: ah, there
more presence now, more personality.
Too bad it’s quite cardboardy
for a moment but it does improve
after that, with quite some apples
and hints of cinnamon as well
as a little incense. Gets fruitier
after a while (plums) but also
mashier (mashed potatoes, yoghurt
sauce). Not superb but frankly
nicer than both the Ambiente and
the Merrys. Mouth: well, it’s
also got more body, starting on
spices (cinnamon and white pepper)
and developing on sugared apple
juice and tea. Hints of tannins.
The finish isn’t too long
but rather balanced. Not too bad
but still not a winner, I’m
afraid. 69 points.

Locke’s
8 yo (40%, OB, Irish, circa 2005)
From Cooley’s. Colour: dark
straw. Nose: again a step forward,
this one having more body. Hints
of oak, cider apples, apple skin,
walnuts and nutmeg… An interesting
sourness (‘good’ baby
vomit – err…). And then
we have the fruits (lychees, strawberries).
Nice backbone, the nicest nose so
far. Mouth: closer to what we’d
expect from a single malt indeed.
Rather oaky and peppery, with a
nice maltiness and notes of caramel
but not much else after that except
a certain fruitiness. Bananas? Medium
long finish, slightly drying but
balanced, with notes of candy sugar
and cooked apples. No we reach 70
points.

Connemara
12 yo (40%, Irish, circa 2005)
From Cooley’s. Colour: straw.
Nose: ah, yes, the peat… An
enjoyable mix of smokiness and mashiness
on top of a few fruits (bananas,
not too ripe strawberries). Goes
on with sea spray, yoghurt, oysters…
Not too complex but rather clean
and straightforward. Really pleasant.
Mouth: starts on an enjoyable mix
of peat and apple juice plus a little
wood (slightly tannic, getting just
a little drying). Also apple skin,
maybe walnuts… But a rather
short finish with just notes of
peat and pepper remaining on your
tongue. In short, a nice one but
I guess it lacks a few extra-degrees
to stand the peat. 72 points.

Knappogue
Castle 1994/2004 (40%, Irish)
An independent version of Bushmills.
Colour: white wine. Nose: ah yes,
even more personality now. No peat
but lots of fruits (mostly gooseberries
and green apples), perfumy notes
(nice lilac, vetiver) plus hints
of porridge and maybe celeriac.
Clean and interesting, that’s
for sure. Mouth: sweet and fruity
attack but less oomph that I’d
expected, alas. Also a little too
sugarish despite the relative fruitiness
(not too fruity for an Irish, in
fact, more like a Scotch). Gets
then a little spicy (black pepper)
but not much else, including at
the somewhat short finish. I think
the nose was much nicer –
and that it doesn’t resemble
a Bushmills! 68 points.

Irish
10 yo (43%, Signatory, circa 2003)
Another one from Cooley Distillery.
Colour: straw. Nose: much more expressive
again, and that’s not just
the extra 3%. Very nice notes of
spices right at the start (Moroccan
allspices, I don’t know what’s
in it but they use it almost everyday),
lots of apple skin and cider, hints
of quince and pears, light honey,
light caramel… Also hints
of aniseed and white sauvignon.
Elegant and pleasant, the best so
far. Mouth: playful, as fruity as
one can get but not only fruity.
It’s the first time we also
have liquorice and something slightly
earthy. Quite some dried tangerines
as well, orange marmalade…
Quite oomphy! The finish is also
the longest and the boldest so far,
with quite some added praline and
nougat. A good surprise by Signatory
Vintage. 78 points.

Bushmills
Malt 10 yo (43%, OB, circa 2004)
Colour: gold. Nose: yet much more
expressive at first nosing, starting
on the usual bananas and rum notes.
More spirity as well… It’s
a completely different style indeed.
Goes on with very ripe strawberries,
notes of kirsch and mirabelle plums
eau-de-vie, with maybe a certain
‘dirtiness’ that’s
not quite ‘dirtiness’…
Let’s rather say old wood.
Mouth: better than the nose I think.
Creamy, almost thick, starting on
apricot pie and honey and developing
on lots of different fruit jams
as well as a little white pepper
and hints of clove. Ah, yes, also
ripe bananas of course. Medium-long
finish, again on a whole jam jar
plus quite some cinnamon. A style
of its own, very drinkable. 80
points.

Bushmills
1975 Millenium Malt (43%, OB, cask
#286)
Colour: gold. Nose: quite curiously,
this one is less expressive than
the 10 yo at first nosing. Granted,
we have lots of bananas, but…
wait, now it’s opening up,
with quite some old roses, strawberries
and lychees and maybe a little musk.
Goes on with rubbed orange skin,
ginger, rosehip tea… Very
fragrant in fact – but you
have to like that. Lacks maybe a
little reserve (yes, Serge speaking).
Mouth: sweet and very rich, with
an enjoyable attack on buttered
salted caramel and cooked strawberries,
bananas flambéed, rum, heather
honey… Quite some apple compote
with cinnamon as well, Turkish delights,
crystallised fruits… Almost
extravagant, too bad it wasn’t
bottled at 45 or 46%, there’s
just a slight ‘sluggishness’
at the finish. 83 points(and thanks Michel).

Connemara
1992/2006 (46%, OB, k92/303711,
250 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: this is
much hotter now, starting on heavy
notes of toasted bread (all sorts
of toasted stuff in fact) and strong
porridge, cereals, yoghurt…
Gets seriously sour and woody after
a while, and quite dirty at that.
Mashed celeriac mixed with sour
cream? A bit excessive for my tastes.
Hints of peat… Mouth: ah,
this is better, with quite some
peat that was almost absent from
the nose plus candy sugar and rum-soaked
pineapples. Add to that a little
pepper, nutmeg, sugared apple juice…
Nice palate, simple but nice. Rather
long finish with lots of oomph,
balanced, getting spicier with also
caramelized peanuts. Much better
than on the nose! 78 points.

Redbreast
12 yo (40%, OB, circa 2003)
I know, Redbreast isn’t a
pure or single malt but it’s
an old favourite. Colour: pale gold.
Nose: probably the cleaner and fruitier
of them all. Superb notes of ripe
strawberries and apricots mixed
with whiffs of pine resin and a
little cellulose varnish. Goes on
with roasted nuts, praline, nougat,
honey… A winning Irish on
the nose, perfectly composed. Also
something slightly bourbonny (vanilla).
Mouth: sweet, immensely fruity and
honeyed. Lots of strawberries, papayas,
tangerines, bananas and coconut
milk, all that mixed with acacia
honey and crushed pollen plus a
dash of black pepper. Superb finish,
just as fruity (also dried pears)
and honeyed with hints of nutmeg.
As drinkable as it can get! 86
points.

Redbreast
15 yo (46%, OB, 2005)
Colour: gold. Nose: astonishingly,
this one is more closed, more austere,
much less playful than the 12yo.
Did they try to compose something
more ‘serious’? More
Scottish? Much less fruity but quite
farmy instead, slightly phenolic,
waxy. Hints of rubber, blackcurrant
leaves… Gets then quite vegetal
(newly cut grass, green tea) and
slightly peppery. Nothing to do
with the rather extravagant 12yo.
Mouth: it is better now, much closer
in style to the 12yo. Almost the
same whisky but with more oomph,
thanks to the extra 6%. Maybe a
tad nuttier and more caramelly.
Too bad the nose lacked the 12yo’s
‘full-Irishness’. And
don't tell me it's not PC to like
the 12 better! 82 points.

Cooley
13 yo (60.6%, Cadenhead, circa 2006)
Colour: straw. Nose: back to the
peated Cooleys with this rather
mashy and smoky version, close to
the regular Connemara 12yo. Huge
notes of mashed potatoes and yoghurt
sauce (like the one they serve in
Turkey with some kebabs), sour apples,
all sorts of immature fruits, lemon
juice, muscadet (greenish, usually
acid white wine, nothing to do with
muscat)… Also a little pepper
but the whole is really ‘green’
and sour, that sourness managing
to mask the heavy peatiness after
a moment. A bit hard I must say.
Nose: ah, it’s much sweeter
now, almost honeyed (by contrast)
with a very nice peatiness and lots
of apricot jam and black pepper.
Very simple but most enjoyable,
with a very long, still very peaty
and honeyed finish. Again an excellent
palate somewhat spoiled by a so-so
nose. Too bad! 78 points.

And
also Bushmills
1975 ‘Private Cask’
(43%, OB for Whisky Club Kyrburg,
cask #359) Truckloads of bananas
and coconuts plus quite some fresh
paint on the nose. Mouth: very fruity
but also a little soapy, lacking
a little backbone, yet it’s
sort of rough. I liked many 1975
Bushmills better. 78 points.

MUSIC
– JAZZ -
Recommended listening: the magnificent
Bill Evans' Waltz
for Debby.mp3 sung by the
elegant pianist and vocalist Ellyn
Rucker, (the excellent
Red Mitchell is on bass and Marvin
'Smitty' Smith on drums). Please
buy miss Rucker's music, go to
her gigs and support jazz in general!